Fleet Management Solutions That Will Make Your Funeral Business the Most Efficient in Town

There are over 100 000 burial societies in South Africa and funeral expos such as Funerex for funeral providers - an indication of how large the industry is. Now imagine a fleet manager trying to manage all the vehicles and drivers in a business, especially in such a time-sensitive industry where delays could have dire consequences. 

A decent fleet management solution can help you better manage your drivers, vehicles and customers, giving you all the information you need to ensure your drivers remain productive, punctual and efficient. 

Time is your most precious resource, let’s not waste a second of it and get straight into how a fleet management platform can be the solution for your business. 

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Fleet management unpacked

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Firstly, what does fleet management software do?

A fleet management solution helps fleet managers track deliveries, optimise routes, schedule drivers for the day, monitor driver behaviour, and reduce risk factors that could harm their fleet. It aims to help managers bring down operational costs, fuel consumption, streamline processes, and much more. 

Who uses fleet management software? Fleet managers or owners who have a fleet of vehicles, either small or big and need to get tasks done and gain more visibility of their fleet. Drivers can also use the software to communicate with managers about their job progress, and also improve their driving behaviour in real time. 

Now that we’ve unpacked the basics, let’s take a quick crash course on the software behind this smart system. 

What is the best software management solution and what makes a good fleet management system? ‍

Simple answer. It depends on the needs of your business. 

Seeing as this article is funeral-industry focused, let’s use it as an example. Funeral providers with a fleet of vehicles mainly need to ensure the timely transportation of deceased individuals between the funeral home and burial site, until the deceased individual is laid to rest and out of their care. Fleet managers in this industry will need insights that give them more continuous visibility of their fleet so they are equipped with the tools to keep their operations as safe, productive and efficient as possible.  

A fleet management system helps managers streamline their day-to-day tasks and prevent challenges such as service delays, task miscommunication, and wasted resources trying to locate where drivers and vehicles are daily. 

A decently good fleet management system will be packed with many benefits for all types of industries. 

Here are a few:

‍Benefits of fleet management software

• Increased customer satisfaction and business growth.
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  With more visibility of your fleet and vehicles, you can get more tasks done, schedule more dispatches and ensure smooth deliveries or services, which will help retain your customers, boost your profit margins, and keep your business stable. 

• Improved fuel efficiency.
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  ‍Track fuel patterns, fuel consumption, idle times, driver behaviour, fuel costs, and any forms of fuel theft, all from a fleet platform, to optimise fuel costs and reduce fuel expenses. 

• Optimise your workforce.
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  ‍Keep track of your workforce, by getting full visibility of driver attendance and fleet activity, helping you pay wages more accurately and to prevent any unauthorised usage of vehicles or equipment. 

• Added vehicle safety.
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  GPS vehicle tracking from a telematics platform will help keep your fleet safe, as you can always pinpoint its whereabouts and location. If one of your vehicles is stolen, you will receive an alert, and your provider's advanced recovery team will take immediate measures to locate and recover your vehicle. 

• Advanced vehicle maintenance.
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  ‍Prolong the lifespan of your vehicles, where a platform will send you alerts when you need to service your vehicles. You’ll also receive vehicle diagnostics such as oil leaks or worn-out brake pads, so you take preventive maintenance measures and reduce any downtime on the roads. 

Do you feel more informed to choose the best fleet management system for your business? 
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Here’s a detailed list of some core features every fleet management system should not go without: 

3 main features vital in any fleet management system

• Vehicle management ‍
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  The number one foundation of any fleet platform should be that it offers advanced GPS vehicle tracking, enabling fleet managers to access the real-time locations of their vehicles at any given point, and to see if they are moving, idling, or parked. If a vehicle is stolen, the telematics company’s recovery team will have the data insights they need to locate and recover the stolen vehicle, as soon as possible. As a result, the fleet manager will not incur any unnecessary asset costs and will help them manage their vehicles better. 

• Driver management ‍
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  A large part of managing a fleet is monitoring your driver’s behaviours on the roads so you can protect your vehicles and cargo, reduce accidents, improve driver productivity, and ensure more fuel efficiency. A fleet solution should have capabilities to keep track of behaviours such as harsh acceleration, harsh braking, speeding, excessive idling, and more. Cartrack’s fleet management system does all that and more. Its AI-powered and live-streaming camera technology can even live-track driver behaviour and audibly alert drivers in real time when it detects forms of dangerous driving gestures. The AI technology notifies drivers when they show signs of cell phone use, fatigue, drive too close to other vehicles, and more. The real-time audible alerts allow drivers to quickly rectify their behaviour and prevent an accident before it’s too late. The software not only helps keep drivers safe but makes them more accountable for their actions.

• Operations management‍
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  A fleet platform should have vast capabilities to help you manage various aspects of your operations, including vehicles, drivers, and routes to ensure tasks are completed for a better customer experience. For example, this could include route optimisation, which calculates the best routes for drivers to take when making deliveries. This will help with faster arrival times, better customer experiences, and improved fuel consumption. Or receive maintenance insights and updates for your vehicles, so you can service your vehicles in advance, reduce excessive maintenance costs and prevent unnecessary breakdowns.

Effective operations and fleet management are crucial for funeral service providers, so let’s dive more into the nitty-gritty of this industry. 

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Fleet management in the funeral industry

Funeral service providers offer funeral-related services, one of which includes fleet services that assist clients with the preparation and transportation of deceased persons for burial or cremation, to ensure their requirements are managed with utmost care and consideration. 

In this industry, the timely delivery of deceased persons is a priority. Obstacles like hot weather, traffic jams, and breakdowns can have serious repercussions given the sensitive nature of the contents they transport daily. 

A fleet management solution is vitally important for fleet managers in this industry, as it equips managers with the tools and technology to pinpoint the exact whereabouts of their fleet at any given time. This visibility can help managers identify issues like delays and downtime early on, so they can try to resolve and avoid disruptions, and meet the timely needs of their customers.

If you are a funeral provider and are looking for a fleet solution that can help you deliver quality funeral services, here are some ways Cartrack can help. 

5 ways Cartrack’s fleet management solutions assist funeral companies 

1. Manage task progress and communicate with your drivers effectively‍
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   With a fleet platform and mobile app features, you can easily manage daily tasks, gain full visibility of your vehicles, and communicate with your drivers in real time. This allows you to know exactly where your vehicles are at any given time so you can pinpoint the whereabouts of the deceased person in transit and keep your clients updated. This means you are also able to see when your drivers arrive at a  burial site on time. Drivers can also use the mobile app to update you on every stage of their job progress so you can keep your customers updated 

2. Automate and digitise your operations‍
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   With Cartrack’s smart analytics dashboard and data reports, you will get all types of actionable insights to improve your processes, and make business decisions. For example, you can download vehicle trip history reports to identify any route inefficiencies for jobs so you know how to tackle them for future trips. Reports can also be automated, and sent straight to your inbox, creating less paperwork and reducing the administrative burden in your business - giving you more time to care for your clients and handle other pressing tasks. In addition, You can receive live alerts for other fleet metrics automatically, which means you don’t have to waste time searching for information,  automating your business even further.  

3. Ensure effective vehicle maintenance ‍
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   The fleet platform will alert you when your vehicles require servicing and will give you vehicle diagnostics. This means, you will instantly know if there are worn-out brake pads, oil leaks, and more, allowing you to increase your assets’ lifespan, service your vehicles on time, and schedule fleet maintenance plans. As time is a priority for funeral fleet management activities, it will help you reduce unnecessary downtime and breakdowns, so you can accommodate your clients sufficiently and also keep your funeral business operating around the clock.
   

4. Protect your vehicles from theft ‍
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   GPS vehicle tracking and a stolen vehicle recovery service from a telematics company are necessary for funeral service providers. It helps you keep track of your vehicles and ensures they are always right where they should be. In the unfortunate circumstance of vehicle theft, tracking devices increase the chances of vehicle recovery. Not only is this important for your business’s  bottom line costs, but it also boosts your fleet’s safety which is crucial, especially given the nature of the sensitive contents being transported.
   
   Cartrack has a  stolen vehicle recovery rate of over 90% and has a highly trained air and on-the-ground recovery team and emergency control room support. This helps ensure any stolen vehicles are successfully recovered as quickly as possible. In addition, a funeral provider can also choose Cartrack’s safety add-on feature, CarWatch - a virtual car guard. You can activate it from the Cartrack app, and receive an alert when your parked vehicle moves without your permission. 

5. Improve driver safety ‍
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   Given the nature of the sensitive contents being transported daily, drivers should be extra cautious on the roads. The platform allows you to accurately monitor your driver’s behaviour and gives you access to driver behaviour reports. You can use these reports to make your drivers aware of areas where they need to apply more caution so they can drive safer and be more accountable. There’s also Cartrack’s AI-powered camera solution. It gives your drivers the chance to quickly rectify any dangerous or distracted driving behaviour by sending drivers audible alerts in real time when they use a cell phone, drive too close to another vehicle, show signs of fatigue, and more so they can prevent an accident before it is too late.

Let Cartrack make your funeral business the most efficient in town

No more unnecessary downtime, avoidable delays and unhappy customers. Make your funeral fleet as productive, efficient and safe as possible. Cartrack’s fleet management system will help you get full visibility of your drivers, vehicles and tasks so you can optimise your operations and meet customer demands. Chat with us today.